The blood of innocents moves us

Published: Wednesday, December 19, 2012 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, December 18, 2012 at 6:40 p.m.

It will take more than gun control laws alone to stop the slaughter of Americans in what seems like an endless cycle of meaningless violence. But the heartbreaking massacre Friday of 27 people, including 20 first-graders, demands we do more.

Of all the senseless violence and all the shootings carried out by madmen, the brutal murders at Sandy Hook, Conn., may be the turning point in our national gridlock on guns and violence. Because most of the victims were small children, this tragedy has shocked and saddened us perhaps more than any that preceded it. There is the chance this horrible event can move us toward meaningful action, but not if we revert to our entrenched positions.

On the one side are those who seem to believe restricting firearms and penalizing law-abiding gun owners is the only answer to our epidemic of gun violence. Those folks overlook the fact that Connecticut already has some of the most stringent gun-control laws.

On the other hand are those who view any restrictions on weapons and ammunition as an infringement of Second Amendment rights. They believe concealed carry laws and more armed citizens can make us safer, and they fight any attempts to regulate even the most deadly weapons.

In between those two extremes are the majority of Americans who believe firearms restrictions alone will not solve the problem, but they support laws restricting high-capacity weapons like the one used to murder the children in Sandy Hook. They may finally be heard.

The Connecticut tragedy seems to be “reshaping the politics of gun control,” The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday. Democrats long supported by the National Rifle Association are willing to consider restricting large-capacity magazines that allow rapid firing of bullets, limiting the availability of assault-type rifles and boosting mental health scrutiny for gun buyers.

On the Republican side, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida called for a “comprehensive study of our laws’’ aimed at preventing more such shootings, potentially including measures to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and the mentally ill. This may be one area where the opposing sides can agree.

All sides seem ready to discuss a common-sense approach that includes both gun control laws and other factors such as mental health and a culture that glorifies violence.

Now is the time for Americans on the left and right to seek common ground and stop vilifying each other. We should neither rush to a quick fix nor allow the issue to bog down in endless studies. Rather, we should seize this moment to do all we can to end the sort of bloodshed that claimed the innocents in Connecticut.

<p>It will take more than gun control laws alone to stop the slaughter of Americans in what seems like an endless cycle of meaningless violence. But the heartbreaking massacre Friday of 27 people, including 20 first-graders, demands we do more.</p><p>Of all the senseless violence and all the shootings carried out by madmen, the brutal murders at Sandy Hook, Conn., may be the turning point in our national gridlock on guns and violence. Because most of the victims were small children, this tragedy has shocked and saddened us perhaps more than any that preceded it. There is the chance this horrible event can move us toward meaningful action, but not if we revert to our entrenched positions.</p><p>On the one side are those who seem to believe restricting firearms and penalizing law-abiding gun owners is the only answer to our epidemic of gun violence. Those folks overlook the fact that Connecticut already has some of the most stringent gun-control laws.</p><p>On the other hand are those who view any restrictions on weapons and ammunition as an infringement of Second Amendment rights. They believe concealed carry laws and more armed citizens can make us safer, and they fight any attempts to regulate even the most deadly weapons.</p><p>In between those two extremes are the majority of Americans who believe firearms restrictions alone will not solve the problem, but they support laws restricting high-capacity weapons like the one used to murder the children in Sandy Hook. They may finally be heard.</p><p>The Connecticut tragedy seems to be reshaping the politics of gun control, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday. Democrats long supported by the National Rifle Association are willing to consider restricting large-capacity magazines that allow rapid firing of bullets, limiting the availability of assault-type rifles and boosting mental health scrutiny for gun buyers.</p><p>On the Republican side, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida called for a comprehensive study of our laws’’ aimed at preventing more such shootings, potentially including measures to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and the mentally ill. This may be one area where the opposing sides can agree.</p><p>All sides seem ready to discuss a common-sense approach that includes both gun control laws and other factors such as mental health and a culture that glorifies violence.</p><p>Now is the time for Americans on the left and right to seek common ground and stop vilifying each other. We should neither rush to a quick fix nor allow the issue to bog down in endless studies. Rather, we should seize this moment to do all we can to end the sort of bloodshed that claimed the innocents in Connecticut.</p>